


something old, something new

by findingpeterpan



Category: That '70s Show
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:41:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27939072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/findingpeterpan/pseuds/findingpeterpan
Summary: Jackie and Hyde are engaged and planning their wedding. (What I hoped season 8 would be)
Relationships: Eric Forman/Donna Pinciotti, Jackie Burkhart/Steven Hyde, Kitty Forman/Red Forman
Comments: 82
Kudos: 58





	1. rings and other things

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, so this was actually inspired by TeaTimeAllOverTown's new fanfic which I actually adore. Anyway, I hope you like it.

Jackie always expected to get engaged, but never to Steven Hyde. When they weren’t together, she hated him or tolerated him, or, maybe, sorta liked him, but that was another story. In their summer fling, there was no future and no feelings, but both rules had been broken. And when, they were dating, he made it seem pretty clear that he didn’t want to think about the future. 

But now, Jackie was sitting in the Formans kitchen table, planning her wedding with the love of her life. Donna was sitting next to her, mindlessly looking at the flowers in the magazine. 

“So, which one do you like?” Jackie asked, twirling a hair around her finger. 

Donna raised her eyebrows at her, “Jackie, did you tell your parents yet?”

“Why?”

“So, you have an idea for the budget.” 

Jackie shrugged, looking around, “Donna, we haven’t even told Mr. and Mrs. Forman. And my dad’s broke and in jail and my mom’s on a couple of months trip to the Bahamas.”

“What are you gonna do?” 

“Well,” She crossed her arms over her chest and threw her hands up in the air in frustration, “I don’t know!” 

“Girls, girls, quiet down.” Mrs. Forman said, walking in. “Red’s taking a nap on the couch. I don’t want you two to wake him. Oh, Jackie, when did you get the latest issue?” 

She picked up one of the magazines and flipped through, taking a seat. “You know, I’ve been thinking me and Red should renew our vows. Maybe I could convince him to let me get a new wedding dress.” She laughed. 

“Where’s Hyde?” Donna asked, standing up.

“In the basement, I think.” Mrs. Forman answered, completely absorbed in the pictures. 

“I’ll call him.” She said, ignoring her friend’s shaking of her head. 

“Mmhmm.”

Great, Jackie thought. “Umm, Mrs. Forman, when did you and Mr. Forman get married?”

She smiled when she looked up, “We were both twenty and young, and it was a small chapel because we didn’t have that much money. But it was decorated nice and we were happy so that part didn’t really matter as much. Our friends and family were there too. It was really romantic.”

Hyde walked through the door, holding a bottle of cola in his hand, “You called me, Jackie.” 

“Umm, yeah? Come,” She led him outside, making sure to close the door. 

“You okay?”

“Steven, when do you want tell Mr. and Mrs. Forman? And my parents? And WB too?” He sighed, scratching his head.

“Jacks, I haven’t even got your ring yet.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, “What are you waiting for?”

“Do you just wanna pick out your ring?”

“No, Steven, that isn’t romantic.” Hyde walked back inside, leaving her standing in the driveway. Following him, she asked, “Where are you going?”

“To get Fez and my keys.” They were in the basement now, with the whole gang watching them. “Fez, come on.” 

In the midst of eating his candy, he looked up, “What? Why?”

“I need your help picking out Jackie’s ring. And no eating that in the El Camino.”

He clapped, gently placing his candy on the table, “None of you touch this.”

They both left as Jackie sat on Hyde’s usual chair, staring blankly at the tv. It was silent for a moment before Kelso said, 

“I can’t believe Hyde’s engaged. I mean, it’s Hyde.” She glared at him.

“Yeah, remember a few years ago, when he thought love was some big corporation scam or something. Man, can’t wait to bug him about that.” Eric added. 

“Both of you shut it. Steven’s engaged because he loves me. And if you do anything to mess this up, you won’t be invited to our Hawaiian wedding.”

“No, Jackie, I deserve to be invited. It’s bad enough Hyde stole you from me. And, Hawaii has some really hot chicks.” 

“Shut up Kelso. You lost Jackie on your own merit.” Donna said, throwing a random ball at him. “And you, don’t bring up scams and the government before the wedding. Got it?”

“Thank you, Donna. This is why you’re my maid of honor.”

She sat up excitedly, “Wait, really?”

Jackie nodded, “But you can’t wear pink because your hair is red, even though the bridesmaids were supposed to wear pink. Oh, Donna! Why’d your stupid hair have to be red? It’s ruining my whole vision.”

It was later now, and Jackie was in Hyde’s room, listening to his stupid music. Her boyfriend, fiancé actually, walked in, carrying a paper baby blue bag. She immediately sat up, smiling giddily. 

“You bought it!” She exclaimed, bouncing on the bed. 

“Yeah, now listen, Jackie.” But she’d already taken the bag from him. She grabbed the box and opened it. The ring wasn’t as big as she expected it to be, but that wasn’t her first thought. It was an amethyst ring, actually, with tiny diamonds all around it on a gold band. It was small, dainty, and delicate.

“Kay, it isn’t what you imagined by the hundreds of pictures you showed me but-”

“Oh, Steven, I love it! It’s perfect.” She placed the ring on her finger, froze, took it off and handed it to him. “You have to put it on me.”

He rolled his eyes but did it anyways. “You sure? You like it, I mean.”

“Yes, I’m sure.” She admired the ring on her finger, “But why’d you get this? I mean, whenever I go to the jewelry store, there’s always diamond engagement rings. I’ve never seen an amethyst one before.”

“Yeah, well, it took forever to find it. Fez was no help either. He insisted on trying every ring and made me propose to him a few times. Anyway, found that by some luck and well, it reminded me of the prom dress you wore when we went together. Figured you’d like it.” 

“Well, I love it and I’m never taking it off.” She kissed him and pulled him on the bed with her. 

“You probably should. If Red finds out we’re engaged, he might actually put his foot in my ass.”

She rested her head on his chest as he mindlessly drew invisible circles on her back. “We have to tell them.”

“We’ll them when they’re drunk.” 

“I’m serious, I’m going to call my mom tomorrow. Make her get on the first flight back. You call WB, and we’ll set a dinner somewhere to tell them. It’ll be formal and will let them know how serious we are.”

“I don’t think a reservation at a restaurant is gonna do that, Angel Eyes.”

It was silent for a moment, and Hyde had a strange look on his face. One in deep thought and contemplation, leaving her worried. Jackie decided to ask, “You’re not regretting asking me to marry you, are you?”

He laughed, a very deep one at that, almost sad in a way, “No, that’s not it. Just wondering… just wondering if I should invite Bud and Edna. Or even just let them know.”

“Do you want to? I know I said I didn’t want your family there but that was then, and I want whatever makes you happy now.” 

“Yeah, well, they don’t make me happy.” 

“Do I?” She looked at him hopefully. 

Smiling, he placed a kiss on her knuckle, “Yeah, Jacks.”

“You make me happy too, Pudding Pop.”


	2. all of the parents

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, another chapter today. I had fun writing this one! Hope you like it!

Jackie stared at her reflection in the mirror, trying to primp everything she possibly could. Her curls were too tight, her makeup was not enough, and she was sure there was a couple of wrinkles on her brand-new dress. The restaurant bathroom lighting was terrible too, add that to the mishappens of this night. 

Mr. and Mrs. Forman hadn’t arrived, neither had WB and her mother. Bob was here for some reason, ordering another batch of bread, and telling Hyde about some new hat he had bought. Jackie had excused herself to the bathroom, hoping to have one last chance to look as mature as she possibly could in front of the adults. 

When she had went back to her seat, her mother had finally arrived. Unsurprisingly, with some man, she could only assume was her new boyfriend. 

“Oh, Jackie.” She wrapped her daughter in a hug, “You look beautiful tonight. And this is Victor. I met him on my trip.”

Bob coughed out some bread, “Excuse me? You moved on already?”

“Oh, shut up, Bob! You chose Midge over me.” Pam pulled Victor down in the seat next to her. 

“No, you chose Midge over you.” As they continued their argument, Mr. Forman walked in with Mrs. Forman by his side. She seemed to be pretty excited, considering the bright smile on her face as she looked at her surroundings. 

“This is such a nice restaurant, Mr. Fancy Pants.” She fixed Hyde’s tie and smiled, placing a kiss on his cheek. 

“You sure you’re treating?” Mr. Forman asked.

“I didn’t think I was.” Hyde said, rubbing the mark of lipstick on his cheek. 

“Where’s WB?” Jackie asked in a hushed whisper. 

“He got here when you were using the restroom. Don’t know where he is now.” She placed her hand over his, hoping he’d some magical way calm her down. 

“Bob, why are you here? I thought this dinner was for the kids and their parents.” Red gestured to the people around him. 

“I’m Jackie’s honorary parent. I took her in while her mother was off with her boyfriends.” He gave a glare to Pam, who had an angry look on her face. 

“Hey, be nice to the pretty lady. You’re lucky she went out with you for the time she did.” 

"Thank you, Red. Always such a gentleman."

“Red!” Kitty scolded. 

“What? He is.” 

“Oh, hell no.” Hyde whispered, tightening his grip on Jackie’s hand. Before she could ask what was wrong, she saw both Bud and Edna walking over, in what she assumed, was their finest clothes. 

“Steven, why are they here?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t even tell them I was engaged. Hell, they don’t even know I’m dating you.”

“Well, they’re walking over.” Jackie stood up, brushing off her dress. Hyde, however, didn’t move. 

“Edna!” Kitty said, extremely surprised. She took a quick glance at Hyde, who was getting more and more uneasy by the moment, “I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“Red!” Bud gave him a very forced hug, “How ya been?”

Red forced a smile, extremely fake by the way. “Fine. And I’m guessing by the way you smell that your sobriety hasn’t been going that well.”

“Yeah, it was tough, but I don’t drink that much. Can’t with the little one always wanting to play.”

“Little one, you had another kid?” Hyde asked, a glimpse of hurt on his usual zen face. She made sure he didn't wear his sunglasses tonight, so it was a bit more noticeable.

Edna tsked. “Steven, come on. You can’t be that upset. We had to find out you were getting married by Janet Hubert. And then your weird foreign friend said you'd be here tonight for a parents dinner, which we didn't receive an invitation for.” Edna took a seat next to her son, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"You weren't invited." Jackie said, making it especially clear. She brushed off her hand off of Hyde's shoulder. 

"Why not? I'm Steven's mother. Bud is Steven's father." 

"Actually, I'm Steven's father." WB announced, crossing his arms over his chest. He greeted Jackie by giving her a silent side hug.

"Oh, you found your biological father." She casted a look at Bud but he was far too busy, excitedly talking to a bored, and slightly angry, Red.

“You had another kid. You didn’t even want me, but you had another one… Screw this.” He tossed his napkin on the table and walked off. 

“Jackie? Getting married? What is that about?” Pam questioned, matching expressions with all the other adults at the table. 

“Umm, one second, Mom. I’ll be right back.” Jackie went outside, hoping to find her fiancé there. She was going to ruin Edna and Bud. Why were they even here? No one had invited them. Luckily, she found him, quietly sulking by a lamppost, just staring at the ground. 

“Steven,” She didn’t really know exactly what to say. This was unusual because she usually always had something to say, “Steven, you can talk to me. I promise I’ll listen.”

“I’m fine, Jackie.” 

“Steven.” She placed her hands on his cheeks, making him face her. 

“Jackie, I’m fine.” After a moment, he spoke, “How was telling your dad?”

Realizing she wasn't going to get anything out of him, she might as well offer a distraction, “Good. He was happy. Me and him have gotten closer since he went to jail. Probably because he doesn’t have anyone else to talk to. Which is great for me because he now actually listens about my life.” 

“And he thinks I’m good enough for his daughter?” 

“Yeah. He’s just happy it isn’t Michael. I told him we still hang out and he looked so frustrated. He had to explain how much of a bad influence Michael is. But he wants to meet you. If you want, you can go to the jail with me next month.” 

He nodded. “And your mom? What does she think? I mean, when she found out we were dating. I never asked.” 

“Well first, she was disappointed that I’m not with someone richer. But then she realized she actually liked you. She thought you were charming and sweet. And she’s happy that I’m happy.” She led him to the bench, where they sat down. They probably should have headed inside, but she decided against it. Not yet. 

“Do you think I’m a burden to the Formans? To WB? I mean they got stuck with me.” Yes, she was very much going to ruin Bud and Edna with every fiber in her being. 

“Steven, the Formans love you. I think they love you more than they love Eric and Laurie. But that’s just what everyone thinks. And WB seems so happy to have you in his life. You’re being ridiculous.”

“Bud and Edna-”

“Bud and Edna are assholes, and yeah, I said it. I feel awful for their child, not you, the other one. Also, you, but you know what I mean.” 

“Thanks.” He looked at her for a moment before kissing her deeply. 

“You better now?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” He stood up, keeping her hand in his. 

“Okay, because we have to go inside now and fix the mess your parents caused.” Hyde groaned, but followed her inside. 

It was quite an image to see, when they walked in. Kitty looked like she was going to throw her drink at Edna while Red was patting Bob’s back, as he cried. Pam and Victor were having a full make out session and WB seemed to be in a very awkward conversation with Bud. There were a few eyes on their table, but Jackie ignored it, clinking her glass with a spoon. 

“Hi, I’m going to clarify everything right now, so listen. I’m Jackie Burkhart, and this is my fiancé, Steven J. Hyde, the third. This dinner was meant to be for the people we love and care about and who love and care about us. Unfortunately, those weren't the only people that joined.” She flashed Edna and Bud a dirty look, “So, the point of this dinner was to let you guys know that we are engaged and we are planning a wedding. For a wedding, we need money. So, if you could let us know an amount, a large amount, please, we’d really appreciate it.” She sat down, kissing Hyde’s cheek in the process. 

Pam clapped her hands, “Oh, Jackie, congratulations. I wish I had money to offer but we’re broke. But Victor, Victor here, owns a line of cruises. You could have a cruise wedding.” She gave him an eskimo kiss and smiled. 

“Oh, Steven! A cruise wedding!” But he shook his head no.

“You two are getting married? Weren’t Eric and Donna engaged too? And you saw what happened. You kids never learn.” Red shook his head. 

“Oh, shut it, Red. They’re older than Eric and Donna were.” Kitty put her hand on his shoulder. 

“By a year.” 

“Yes, what were you thinking?”

“Mrs. Forman, you got married young. And look how it worked out for you.” Jackie said. 

“Red?”

“How do we know that you two going to be serious about this thing?” Hyde shrugged, causing him to get slapped on the arm by Jackie. 

“Eric and Donna fight more than they love and me and Steven love more than we fight.” 

“What does that even mean?” Hyde asked.

“Shut up before I kick you in the shin.” She whispered back. She turned back to face the older couple, “Also, Steven and I know we have problems to work out. Donna and Eric just thought they were perfect and when they realized they weren’t, it was a slap on the face. Plus, me and Steven always try to do things that make each other happy, even if it’s sometimes forced. We’re more mature because we’ve been through more things than they have and we make each other better.” 

“I still think this is a dumb idea. But I haven’t eaten all day so whatever gets me a steak, I’ll agree to.” Red scanned the room for a server.

Kitty shook her head this time, “No, no. you two broke up a few months ago and got back together and you broke up again, you can’t just break up in a marriage. It's a commitment, are you ready for that?”

Jackie sighed, “Mrs. Forman, neither of us wanted to break up. We just had a hard time communicating with each other, which is what we are working on now. Right, Steven?”

“Uhh, yeah.”

“When’s the wedding?” WB asked. A waiter came up to them, which he dismissed. 

“We haven’t set a date.” Hyde answered, pulling at his collar, “Can we order?”

“No, first this. I think you should wait, a year at least, before you get married. You can still be engaged and plan wedding stuff but you can't get married before the year is up. And if you don’t break up throughout the whole year, we’ll pay. Well, we’ll split the payment. Steven, I think your girlfriend wants an expensive wedding.” Kitty laughed. 

Jackie intertwined her fingers with Hyde’s and pecked his lips. Edna, of course, had to ruin the mood, “Do we have a say?”

“No.” Kitty replied, offering her her signature sweet smile. 

“Well, if it means anything, I’m proud that you’re engaged, son.” Bud said. He tried to reach for his hand but Hyde pulled away in time.

“Can we order now?” Bob asked, looking for the waiter, wiping his eyes with his napkin in the process.

“Wait, wait, the ring! I want to see the ring.” Pam took ahold of Jackie’s hand. 

“Oh, Red, why didn’t you get me a ring this pretty?”

“I don’t know, Kitty, I think his father is giving him too much money.”

WB laughed, “Yeah, well, he’s my son.”

Red laughed back, “We raised him.”

Jackie leaned close to Hyde’s ear, “See, they’re fighting over you. Told you they loved you.” She placed her head on his shoulder. 

“Yeah, crazy, isn’t it?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you like it? I hope so. Thank you for reading, anyway! Please comment! I love your comments! (sorry it's super long, i didn't know how to shorten it.


	3. save the date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad you like this story. I do enjoy writing Jackie and Hyde moments.

It was only a few days after the dinner and Jackie, Hyde, and everyone they considered family was in the Forman’s living room. 

“I think it should be a ninja-themed wedding, and I’ll carry a sword when I walk down the aisle!” Kelso proceeded to wave his arms around and do some kicks. 

“No, we are not having a ninja-themed wedding, Michael!” Jackie yelled, throwing a cushion at him. Hyde laughed and pulled Jackie closer on his lap. 

“When are you going to pick out a dress?” Donna asked, showing her a picture of some gowns. 

“I don’t know. We haven’t even set a date. Steven, let’s set a date.” 

“Oooh! Can I come when you pick a dress?” Angie questioned, looking at the pictures with Donna. 

“Remember, the wedding has to be at least a year away.” WB reminded them. 

“Yeah, yeah, we know.” 

“Wait, I’m going to have to walk the aisle with Donna. Right? Cause I’m the best man? Right, Hyde?” Eric asked.

“Who said you’re the best man? I let him have Jackie. Without me, there would be no wedding. I got them back together too.” Kelso boasted, taking a seat next to Eric. 

“Excuse me but I helped pick the ring out. I should be the best man.” Fez added. Jackie looked expectantly at Hyde who sighed, 

“What?”

“Who is it gonna be? The pencil, the moron, or the foreigner?”

“I don’t care.” 

“Steven! This is our wedding! You have to be serious.” He shook his head, hoping to avoid this question. 

“Let’s set a date first.”

“I think you should have a summer wedding. The dresses will be cuter and we can get tanned.” Pam offered.

“We’d have to wait another six months to get married then. And I wanted a spring wedding with flowers and butterflies and all that stuff.” 

“How about a year from now? I mean, it’s what? December 13th. We can get married before the next decade starts.”

“So, the last memory people have of the seventies is our wedding! Oh Steven! You’re genius!” He looked confused but decided to go with it. 

“Well, that’s sweet and all but it’ll be cold. You definitely can’t get married outside. No one’s getting sick on my watch.” Kitty said, taking a sip of wine. 

Red finally spoke, with the most unhelpful comment, “I don’t know why I’m here.” 

“So, we have to get married inside. That’s not a problem. I didn’t want to get married outside anyways. Oooh! Let’s add candles and Christmas lights and roses so it’ll look all romantic. Maybe we can have doves too, that’ll slip the ring on my finger. Wouldn’t that be perfect?” 

“Jackie, that’s not gonna happen.” Hyde told her.

“Oh hush, you don’t get a say in this.” He rolled his eyes and casted a look at Donna, saying help me.

“What if the dove poops on your dress?” Donna said, smiling.

She thought about it for a minute and then shook her head, “Okay, fine. No doves.”

“I’m so excited. I love weddings.” Fez grinned, taking a look at the magazines. 

“So, the date is December 13th?” WB asked, clasping his hands together. 

“Yes, December 13th. Save the date!”

It was later and it was only Jackie and Hyde in his room now. Jackie was on the bed, with a pen and paper, trying to create the guest list. 

“Steven, who’s your best man?” She called, while he brushed his teeth. 

“I don’t know.” He gargled.

“Eww, answer me when your mouth is empty.” He came out when he was done, taking a seat next to her. 

“You did a lot today. It’s late, we can do the rest tomorrow.”

“No, I want to finish this now. Or it’s going to keep me up at night and I need my beauty sleep.”

“Fine, you pick.”

“No, it’s up to you.” 

“Put Fez or whoever.”

“It’s not Eric?” Jackie asked. “I thought he was your best friend.”

“You’re my best friend.” He teased, kissing her neck as she giggled.

“Really? Steven, that’s so sweet. Oh, you’re my best friend too. But I can’t be your best man. I’m going to be your bride.” 

He stopped, looking at the guest list. “Put Eric. I’ll just tell Kelso and Fez that you picked.” 

“Okay, and another question.” He groaned, desperately ready to turn the lights off. “Do you want to invite Bud and Edna? I mean I totally get if you don’t but I just thought I’d ask, you know, in case.”

“No.”

She hesitated for a moment but then responded, “Okay.”

Immediately catching on to something, he asked, “What?” 

“Nothing.” She muttered.

“Jackie, I don’t want them there.”

“Yeah, neither do I.” She paused for a moment, “I just thought, maybe you wanted to see your little brother or sister. You could teach them all the things you knew from living with your terrible excuses of parents. And I also thought it’d be cool to show off to your parents that you married the most beautiful girl in the world.”

He rolled his eyes at that but smiled anyways, causing her to beam. Then he clenched his jaw, “Fine, invite them. But put Pam Macy on the list too.” 

She chucked the pillow at him, “Hey, hey, I was just kidding.”

“It wasn’t funny.”

“Sorry.” He took the list from her and put it on the table, before turning the lights off. 

“I still don’t forgive you but maybe tomorrow, because we have to be more mature.” She yawned, laying down and putting the comforter over her. He kissed her forehead anyway and slipped in next to her, unsure of whether or not to hold her,

“How mad are ya?”

“Mad enough and if you keep talking, it’ll get worse.” 

“You’re the one who kept us up.” Ignoring the statement, Jackie closed her eyes. 

“Why aren’t your arms around me? I’m not that mad.” It took all Hyde’s might not to roll his eyes again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was probably out of character and I apologize if it was. I hope you liked it anyway. Comment please, love reading them! Also, I'm sorry but did the timeline of '70s confuse anyone else? This takes place right now in 1978 but I think the show started taking place in 1976 so... again, comment please! I wanna know what you think.


	4. mother in law

Perhaps the biggest mistake Jackie ever made in her life was to invite Hyde’s stupid mother to lunch one day. The hag of a woman accepted, because why wouldn’t she? But now, the meal was met with awkward silence, neither of them knowing what to exactly say around each other.

Edna did break her silence though, “So, Jackie, have you picked a dress?” 

“No, no, it’s too early, according to all the magazines I’m reading. I’m going to wait a couple of more months that way the dress I get won’t go out of style but there will still be enough time so that it is custom made. I was thinking of a lace dress because I like those best, although the satin ones I’ve seen are pretty too. I also need a tiara to match the dress and it needs to go with the veil because I don’t want it looking tacky or cheap. Maybe a simple crown, but I don’t know. All I know is that I need to go with people who know what they’re doing cause Donna, mine and Steven’s friend, the one with the red hair, has awful taste. She’d probably make me wear a plaid white dress. I don’t trust what she has to say-”

“Wow, you do talk a lot. How does my son not get irritated by you all the time? He must really love you.” Edna teased, giving her a sweet smile. 

“Yeah, he does. I mean, he’s marrying me.” Jackie played with the spoon, twirling it in the cup of tea. 

“Well, people who don’t love each other get married all the time. Especially when one of them gets knocked up, which is what I thought happened with you two.” She pointed at Jackie, before finding the napkin particularly interesting, “That’s why Bud and I got married. Except he didn’t know I was carrying someone else’s baby. I wasn’t expecting Steven to get married, though, least of all, to you. Thought I raised him better than that.” 

Of course, this isn’t exactly the conversation you would like to have with your future mother-in-law but she kept herself composed. “Hmm, so you have another child?”

“Yeah, yeah. His name is Kyle.”

“How old is he?” Jackie asked, sipping her drink.

“Can’t be older than one. You mentioned Donna before. I liked her. How’s she doing?”

“Umm, she’s fine. She’s going to be my maid of honor.” 

Edna chuckled, “Be careful with that. My maid of honor hooked up with my husband a week after our wedding. You’re in more trouble too cause Steven used to like that Donna girl.” 

‘He doesn’t like her like that anymore.” She answered, wearing a tight smile on her face. Perhaps this woman had a natural talent to get under everyone’s skin. Or at least have the talent to torture Jackie’s insecurities. Hoping she got the point, she added, “And she has a boyfriend. Eric. He’s going to be at the wedding too. He’s Steven’s best friend.”

She nodded. Jackie sat up, straighter, hoping this would radiate confidence is some magical way, before she asked the question that was plaguing her thoughts at this very moment, “Edna, do you have a problem with me?” 

Edna took one of her hands in her own bony ones, “If I’m being completely honest, I don’t think you’re the ideal match for him.”

It was fine. This woman didn’t even matter. Though she still had to tell herself, Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry, “Why not?”

“Because you’re young, naïve, and from what I’ve heard, shallow, bossy, and hard to be around. I may not have shown Steven how much I’ve cared about him before, but I know this marriage isn’t going to last. Your looks will eventually go, meaning what’s keeping my son here in the first place will be gone. You may be ‘in love’ now, whatever the hell that means to you two, but it’s not gonna last. You lack a brain, an interesting personality, tell me how long you’ll think Steven will want to be with you for.” 

Jackie stood up, grabbing her purse and dropping the appropriate money on the table, “You don’t know Steven and you don’t know me.”

“Believe me, I know my son.” 

Jackie tilted her chin up, “Well, bye, Edna. I hope we see you at the wedding.”

“Jackie, stop crying. It’s Edna of all people, don’t listen to her.” Donna comforted, patting her back as she handed her tissues. 

“Well, what am I supposed to do? I convinced Steven to invite her and she hates me. She’s going to ruin the wedding by just being there.” She choked out, blowing her nose in the fresh tissue, before tossing it on the ground. 

“Listen, whatever she said to you isn’t true.”

“Oh, you weren’t there.” She put her face in her hands.

“Well, what did she say?” Donna asked, now throwing all the used-up tissues in the trash. 

Jackie looked at her, wiping her face with her sleeve. “Well, first, she thinks I’m awful. She said that Steven and-“ The rest was drowned muffles and other noises that the red-head couldn’t possibly make out.

An exasperated sigh came from her, before she asked, “What? I didn’t understand anything you just said.”

“She said that Steven’s going to cheat on me with you. Better, Donna?”

Donna laughed, “Are you kidding? Is that what you’re worried about? Jackie, Hyde and I will never do anything even remotely romantic with each other. Ever! How can you even believe that?”

“Well, this woman is very good at convincing people things that aren’t true. She even got me questioning my looks. I mean, look at me, Donna. And she also thinks I’m stupid. As if I didn’t get better grades as a first-grader than she did in all years as a sophomore.”

“There she is. Now, stop crying.” Jackie wiped her face once more. “Better?”

She nodded, her eyes filling with vengeance, “Yeah, I just have to figure out how to ruin that whore’s life without Steven worrying.”

“Atta girl. “

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> maybe i made edna too evil? idk, let me know what u think. i'm just excited for taylor's new album.


	5. it happened again

It was a quiet night for Hyde. He had a pot roast dinner with the Formans and they watched a Christmas movie, Kitty’s request. Laurie also made a special appearance, revealing to her folks that she was going to stay with them till her life got back on track. Now, he was in his room, folding some overdue laundry while listening to Zeppelin. 

He heard the door slam open and shut, “Steven! Where are you?” Jackie called. 

“In here.” He said back, whilst Jackie made her way into his room. 

“Oh, Steven! Your mother hates me. What am I going to do?” She tossed his laundry aside and flung herself onto him, her arms securely wrapped around his neck. 

“You bumped into my mom? When?” 

Jackie fixed her position so she was facing him. Contemplation dawned on her face, before she answered, “Don’t get mad, okay? I went to lunch with her today.”

He tightened his hold on her and sighed, “Why the hell did you go to lunch with Edna?”

“I don’t know. I wanted to know her. She made you.” Jackie pouted. Hyde moved a strand of hair behind her ear, looking at her for a moment. 

“What did she say to you?” He asked. 

“She said I’m not good for you. That she thinks I’m stupid and boring and she said I was going to get ugly.” Her face went back to the crook of his neck and he could feel tears there. Damn, why couldn’t his mom just leave him alone? She was good at it. Why the hell did she always have to ruin a good thing? 

“Jackie, you’re not stupid and you’re not boring.” 

“But I’m going to get ugly.” She sobbed, her nails digging into his shoulder. 

“You’re not gonna get ugly.”

“But you don't even like me.” Jackie asked, moving so her tear-stained face was looking directly at his. He wiped her left cheek with his thumb, pulling her closer. 

“Course I like you.” He said, biting down on his lip. He desperately wished he had a recording of their conversation. How the hell did his mom manage to convince his girl, a girl he was going to marry, that he didn't like her. He said the next part quietly though, as if he was scared someone was listening in, “You know how I feel about you.”

“Yeah, you love me. You told me that. I want to know if you like me, Steven.”

“What the hell does that even mean?”

“It means, are you going to get sick of me? Do you still find me irritating and hard to be around and are only with me cause you love me and nothing else?”

He paused, a frown settling on his face, one of very much annoyance. “Jackie, I like you. I like being with you.”

“Why? I need to know why.”

“Cause you make me happy. And you make me laugh. You’re fun to hang around with, got it? Now stop letting my mom get into your head, and please stop having lunches with her behind my back.”

“Fine.” Jackie promised, moving to kiss him slowly. 

“So, what do you wanna do now?” He mumbled against her lips. 

She smiled, playing with the hem of his shirt before answering, “Let’s look at wedding dresses. I want to know what you like.” 

Hyde didn’t know what exactly he planned on doing when he stopped by Edna and Bud’s place, which was his old home. If he could even call it that. The first thing on his mind was to tell them to leave him and his family alone, but the more he got closer, the more he felt on edge. Soon, he was at the door, the faint sounds of a baby crying inside. 

“Ma! Open the door!” He banged on the door. Either his parents were asleep or they were out. Hyde grabbed the door handle, unsurprisingly finding that it was open. 

The house was worse than he’d thought it’d be. There was junk all over the floor and the carpet was tattered and torn. Empty bottles were placed all over the broken table. The other furniture didn’t look like it was worth anything either and in the back was a rusty, old crib, with the baby in it. His freakin’ brother. He walked over to the bedroom, knocking on the door before opening it. It was empty too. 

There was no way, he thought, checking every corner of this damn house. He even looked in the drawers, confirming what he’d feared. There was no way they left their baby here, all alone, again. 

“Ma! Bud!” Hyde called, finally walking over to the terrified child. They were gone. There was no car outside. There was nothing of theirs inside. They were gone. 

Kyle didn’t stop crying, not even when Hyde held him. He wasn’t going to let go, though, not like every other person in this kid’s damn life. He walked over to the phone, surprised to find that it still worked, “Forman, I need you to bring a car seat or something... What? No... Don’t ask why.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, so i listened to the taylor's new album and loved it. not as much as folklore though but it still was wonderful. did any song make you cry? marjorie did that for me. 
> 
> also, i hoped u liked this chapter. i loved ur comments yesterday. please comment on this one too.


	6. no idea what to do

It felt like it had been hours by the time Eric arrived, as Kyle wouldn’t shut up. Hyde tried everything he could think of; rocking him, patting his back, stroking his hair. Nothing helped. He screamed even louder, in fact, and he mentally cursed his parents for being the people they were. 

“Hyde, you in there?” Eric called, knocking on the door. 

“Yeah, come in.” 

Kelso and Fez were with him. The three of them dodged their way through, scared that something on the ground or wall would jump at them. 

“Kelso had a car seat.” Forman explained, gesturing to Kelso, “Fez was with him.”

“How’d you get a baby, Hyde? Don’t you have to wait nine months first? Or was Jackie pregnant the whole time?” Kelso gasped. 

“No, you moron. This isn’t my kid. It’s Bud and Edna’s. They took off, again.” 

Eric shook his head, “Your parents left a baby by itself. Alone. What the hell is wrong with them?”

“There’s a question for the ages.” Hyde muttered, handing the baby over to Fez, who seemed to have a delightful time playing peek-a-boo with him. It even made the bastard laugh. 

“Man, what are you going to do?” Eric asked, looking at Kyle then back at Hyde.

“I don’t know. Was gonna ask your parents what to do. Seems like they’re good at this stuff.” 

“Mom’s home early. She’s with Jackie. They’re watching Grease.”

“Why?” His girl never willingly spent time with a woman more than twice her age, unless she was getting something in return. Jackie always talked about how scared she was that their bad taste may rub off on her and that they should be avoided and that’s why nursing homes were created in the first place. In fact, that’s one of the many things that confused him of why she went to lunch earlier with his pathetic excuse of a mom. 

“I don’t know. I think Donna told my mom some stuff and well, she made her cookies and now they’re both in love with John Travolta."

“Hyde, you two have the same beautiful blue eyes.” Fez remarked, thankfully interrupting the conversation.

“Great, let’s go. I don’t wanna be here any longer than I have to.”

“Oh my goodness! It’s a baby.” Kitty jumped off the couch and grabbed the baby who seemed delighted to see her.

“Where were you?” Jackie asked, walking to greet them. 

“Went to talk to Edna. She wasn’t there.” Hyde answered, watching Kitty interact with Kyle. She was cradling him now, holding his tiny hand with her index finger.

“What do you mean?”

“She left again. With Bud.”

Kitty looked up, her eyes widening. Jackie wrapped her arms around his waist, looking up at him with puppy eyes. “Oh, Steven. You okay?” 

“I’m fine. Used to him.” He let out a dark chuckle, “But I don’t know what to do about him.”

“He’s a baby. What can you do?”

Hyde shrugged, looking at Eric, “We were hoping you and Dad knew what to do.”

“Red!” Kitty called, “Come down please!”

“I’m busy!”

“Laurie’s room can wait! Just get down here!”

Laurie walked to the staircase, a frustrated expression over her countenance, “Mom, Daddy’s busy installing the shelf!”

“Laurie, I swear, get your father down here now. This is much more important that your room.”

“Daddy, Mom’s not listening!” She shrieked, walking back into her room. 

“Kitty, I was doing something.” Red said, walking down the stairs, “What is so important that you need me now?”

“We have a baby problem.”

Red looked at the two boys, his eyes lingering a little longer on Jackie and Hyde, than Eric. “Which one of you got who pregnant? Cause if any of you did anything, my foot will go so far into your ass-”

“Dad! That baby problem.” Eric pointed to his mother with Kyle.

He looked confused, pausing for a long while before speaking, “Where’d you get a baby, Kitty?”

“Edna and Bud left again, leaving this sweet little thing behind.” The baby cooed and Kitty’s maternal instincts felt the need to make him smile, “Yes, you are. Yes, you are.” She laughed before her expression turned solemn again. 

“Are you sure they left?”

“Seems to be that way.” Hyde answered, looking tired. 

“Well, there. His parents might have just gone out. They’ll be back soon. I’m sure of it.”

“Yeah, but Dad, they still left a baby alone. They’re not fit to raise him. And Hyde even said there’s nothing left in the house.” Eric said, concern laced in his voiced.

“The baby’s hungry, Red. I’m going to give him a banana.” Kitty walked into the kitchen, leaving them alone. 

“I don’t know what to do. We can put him in foster care but your mom’s gonna be against that. But we can’t keep him here. Your mom works, I work, Steven works, and you better start working.” He pointed at Eric. He looked at Hyde now, “He’ll be okay, Steven. We’ll figure out something to do.”

“Yeah, man, we’ll make sure he’s okay.” Eric told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. 

“Whatever you do is fine. I don’t really care.” Hyde pushed his glasses back, before telling them, “I’m going down to the basement.”

Jackie’s eyes followed him before her legs did, “I’m going to go talk to him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, so this was this. i hope you liked it. it'll be more eventful in the next chapter i hope. and jackie will talk to him too. comment please, i love reading them.


	7. unsure

Jackie watched as Laurie cradled Kyle in her arms, in a very similar way Kitty did. She never expected that, considering she always believed Laurie was a selfish slutty girl, who ruined what was left of Kelso and her relationship with him. However, as time went on, her feelings, though still twinged with a bit of hurt, became sort of indifferent. She was thankful more so than she wasn’t to her, because, well, without Laurie, she wouldn’t really have ran into Hyde’s arms and their relationship would cease to exist. Yet that didn’t stop her from insulting and proving that she was better than Laurie in every possible way.

“What do you want?” Laurie asked, in that bitchy tone of hers. 

“Nothing. I was just looking for my boyfriend. Fiancé, actually.” She gave her a tight smile.

“You guys are engaged? Finally done playing with your little dolls and ribbons?” The mocking tone was clear, though her face wasn’t directed at Jackie at all, but Kyle, who laughed. 

“Since when have you been good with babies? All Point Place knows you for is what you do to make them.”

“Shut up. It’s not like you’re so innocent. Or are you and Hyde really just jumping that much on his bed?” 

“Whatever.” Jackie walked to the fridge, getting herself a cola. 

“Well, I’m going to put him to sleep.” Laurie was out of the kitchen now, leaving Jackie alone with her worried thoughts about Hyde. What was wrong with him? She knew very well that when he got overwhelmed, he had a tendency to leave without anyone knowing. She was hoping that maybe now that they were about to be married, that he’d consider talking to her. Or at least just let her know where he was going. 

Jackie decided to just go to the basement and wait for him there. That way neither Kitty nor Red would tell her that she should just come tomorrow. However, it didn’t seem like she would have to wait so long because he was there, taking off his coat right now. 

“Hey.” He greeted. 

“Where were you?” She asked, as she followed him into his room.

“Out.” 

“Out where?”

“Just out, Jackie.” He sat down, looking at his surroundings. 

“Steven, you can’t just leave without saying anything. I was so worried. I’m going to be your wife. You have to tell me where you’re going at all times.”

“Well, who know if we’re even gonna get married?” Jackie’s eyes went wide. She expected him to have doubts but not so soon. 

“Steven, we are going to get married.” She said, taking his hands in hers. 

“Really, you don’t think this whole thing is gonna put a wrench in everything? That if we can’t find Kyle a decent home, he’s gonna have to stay here, and I have to take care of him. I can’t take care of a kid, Jackie. Not now. And babies are expensive. I mean, we’re talking diapers, and a crib, and all that other crap a baby needs. I swear, Bud and Edna only came cause they were sick of the kid like they were sick of me.” He took off his sunglasses, letting her look into his eyes. Something he normally didn’t like her doing. 

“Where’d you go?” She placed a hand on his thigh, moving closer to him.

“Just went driving. Didn’t really go anywhere.”

“I love you. And we’re going to get married and figure this out. If I have to give up my dream wedding for something smaller, then I will. Maybe not the dress but the other things. And Kyle will be fine, no matter what happens.”

“Where is he, by the way?” 

“Laurie has him.” She placed her head on his shoulder, letting their fingers interlace. 

“He’s fine?”

“Yeah, he’s fine.” They were silent for a while, with Jackie ever so slightly, taking millisecond glances at him. Not enough for him to notice, but enough for her to see how he was feeling. She wanted to ask more, but he wouldn’t want to answer. And as much as she wanted to hear what he wanted, that’d have to wait for another time. He’d been through enough today, already.

“Do you want to go to sleep?”

“No.”

“Do you want me to stay?”

He was rubbing circles on her leg, “Yeah.”

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope u liked it. i honestly didn't have a title. also, if u like taylor swift, comment the song that makes u think of zenmasters. for me it's paper rings and august. also comment what u think!!


	8. moving in?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorry i didn't write for so long! i hope you like this chapter!

It was a little difficult for Jackie to tell what time it was, considering that her fiancé stayed in a musty bedroom with no windows like a poor person. Well maybe not so musty now with all those candles she bought. 

She stood up and walked to the door, though she didn’t need to open it. She heard both Eric and Donna chattering about, well whatever useless thing they liked to talk about. Jackie sighed, wrapping her arms around her body. It was cold, ridiculously cold. This was one of the many reasons she hated stupid Wisconsin. Just once, she wished she could get December weather like it was in California or Florida. Hot, sunny, and just as she liked it.

She slipped back under the comforter again and let her gaze wander to Hyde. He was asleep, his eyes fluttering. She wished she knew what he was dreaming about. She wished it wasn’t a nightmare. She still wished that Bud and Edna spent the rest of their days in a horrid wasteland and lived a wretched life.

Jackie ran her hand through his hair, yawning as she did so, hoping that it’d soothe him in some form or the other. At least letting him know that she was there. 

Then all of a sudden, there was a pounding on the door, followed by Kitty’s voice. Jackie immediately covered her face with the comforter, in case the woman decided to come in.

“Steven! I made eggs, waffles, pancakes, and even some brownies. I know those are one of your favorites.” She laughed, “I don’t want you worrying right now, so up, up, up!”

Hyde’s hold on Jackie immediately tightened as he woke abruptly. He rubbed his eyes with one hand, as she sat up, her eyes looking warily at the door. 

“Did you sleep okay?” She asked, leaning in to press a kiss on his cheek. He nodded, looking around, 

“It’s just stupid, man. I shoulda known they were gonna pull this shit again.” 

“I know you just woke up but do you have any idea what you want to do with him?”

“I don’t want him. At least I don’t wanna raise him. Right now, I want my biggest commitment to be to you.” 

She couldn’t help but smile at that, “Aww, I love you, pudding pop.”

He put a hand on her back, underneath his shirt, and kissed her slowly. His lips then trailed to her jaw, down her neck, and on her shoulder before Kitty banged on the door again. 

“Steven, breakfast is ready!”

He put his head back, smirking, “We gotta get our own place.” 

Jackie’s eyes lit up as she spoke, “Are you serious? Oh, Steven! I’ve been waiting for this day since forever. We’d probably have to get an apartment first, because you don’t make enough to buy a mansion. Unless you ask WB. Can you ask him? He could buy us a mansion as a wedding present! And I’ll decorate it!”

“Jackie, I was kidding.”

“Oh.” She looked down at her hands and couldn’t help but have a disappointed expression on her face. 

“But I guess. I mean, we were gonna get something eventually. Right? And I don’t want this Kyle thing to be something that holds us-” She immediately got excited again, jumping onto his lap and kissing him again, before rapidly telling him all she wanted. 

“Where’s Kyle?” Hyde asked, as he walked into the kitchen. Jackie left, probably to find a realtor. Man, this girl moved as fast as she possibly could to get things done. 

“Laurie took him with her to the mall.” Kitty said, smiling up at him. She gestured to the seat next to her, “So I had an idea.”

Red immediately put his fork down and sighed, “Oh no. Every time you have an idea, I’m the one who has to suffer.”

“So, you’re saying life with me made you suffer.” She placed a hand over her chest as she looked at him angrily.

“No, no… just tell me your idea.”

“I was thinking that we could adopt Kyle.” She told Hyde, tapping her fingers on the table. She looked excited and judging by Red’s expression, this idea was completely foreign to him. 

“What? You wanna adopt a kid? Our other kids still haven’t left the house and they’re full-grown adults.”

“Yeah, Mrs. Forman, you don’t have to do this-”

“Oh, listen to me. I think it’d be fun to have another kid in the house. And if it’s like Steven, then the kid will just be an angel.” Kitty pinched his cheek as she laughed. 

“Kitty.”

“Well, what Red? We can’t put him up for adoption. He’s already been through so much. Imagine if we didn’t take Steven in.”

“We’d have one less kid in the house.” Red grunted. 

She ignored him and looked at Hyde, “What do you think, Steven?”

He looked at his plate which was empty, “This isn’t up to me, Mrs. Forman.”

“Can we talk about this? Alone?” Red asked, standing up. 

“Yes, of course.” 

“I don’t know if this is gonna influence your decision is some way but I think I’m gonna be moving out soon.” He looked up at the two, who stared at him, both wearing very different expressions,

“Why? Why do you want to move out?” Kitty asked, sitting back down.

“I mean, we were just talking about it. If we’re getting married, we should probably live in the same place.” Hyde clenched his jaw, hoping his nervousness didn’t show. It better not, not with all the practice. 

“Steven, honey, this whole thing happened just less than a day ago. I’m sure Jackie isn’t actually expecting this-“

“Mrs. Forman, I don’t want my parents to mess with my head and ruin a good thing again. Me and Jackie wanna do this and so we are. I’m not letting Kyle get in the way of that.” He stood up and walked away leaving both Red and Kitty silent, with a lot of thinking to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, so i was just really stressed this weekend and didn't have time to write. but it's winter break now so hopefully i'll have more time. i hope ur all okay. please comment, i promise i'll be answering all of them as soon as i can! bye!


	9. three hundred and fifty seven days

It was remarkable what Jackie could do if she really wanted something. In fact, Hyde hadn’t seen for a good week until she showed up in the Formans’ living room, with a dozen pamphlets in her hand. She greeted him with a quick kiss before she settled on his lap. 

“So, I found a few apartments that I really like and think we should look at. They’re not too big which I guess is fine now, but when we’re older, I want a mansion. Also, they’re close by, in case you want to see Kyle. I was talking to Mrs. Forman and she wants Kyle to stay here. And if we get one of these, then you can see him whenever you want-” 

“She talked to you?” He asked as she took off his glasses and set them on the coffee table. She tended to do that a lot when they were alone, mostly because she absolutely despised the existence of said glasses. Hyde wasn’t exactly sure why, whether it was because she liked looking into his eyes when she talked (she’d mentioned it in some stupidly, sickly, girly way that his eyes were her favorite kind of blue), knew very well that those glasses were a part of the zen act and she’d much rather have him show his emotions to her, or if it was because the glasses were old and cheap. Anyway, he really didn’t mind, cause it was Jackie and they were alone. 

“Yeah, she said that she didn’t trust the foster system. Mr. Forman was going to call social services when Edna left you apparently or they talked about calling social services, I don’t know. But she didn’t like that because she was scared you’d get cold and hungry. And she definitely doesn’t want a baby to get cold and hungry, so she said she was going to convince Red. I’m sure they’ll work something out, they always do.” Her hand found home in his hair now, gently twisting strands around her finger as she looked casually at pictures in the pamphlets. 

He grew silent for a moment. His feelings towards his baby brother were mixed. On the one hand, this baby was the spawn of two people he hated most in the world. He never took anything that belonged to them and slowly got rid of the things that they gave him, most of them at least. Seeing Kyle would only remind him of the number of times he’d been abused or abandoned or even, one he’d rather never admit out loud, hurt. It was pretty obvious that all his friends had parents who loved them, despite the shitty things they put their kids through. Fez wrote to his mom every day, Kelso usually made sure to have dinner at home, Donna had Bob and her absentee mother still frequently called her. Even Jackie’s bond with her parents was getting closer and better. And yeah, he had WB and the Formans, but they didn’t raise him for sixteen years of his life, and live with him, and so thinking of Bud and Edna hurt. A lot. It hurt when Edna ditched him for a truck driver rather than stay with the kid she gave birth to and he thought, maybe, in some way, loved. And it hurt when Bud left him twice, just when he’d thought he could trust him again. When he thought he could trust them again. 

Bottom line is that he had a lot of trust and commitment problems. But it wasn’t Kyle’s fault and it was a pretty messed up thing on his part, to take it on an infant whose probably gonna deal with the things he’s dealing with.

“Steven?” Jackie’s voice interrupted his thoughts. She rubbed his cheek with her thumb, “You alright, baby?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? I called your name a couple of times and you weren’t answering.”

“I was just thinking. I’m fine.” He tapped her knee and she stood up, letting him walk away. Unfortunately for him, she continued to follow, each concern rapidly leaving her mouth, 

“Did I say something? You still want to move in together, right? Are you regretting anything? Does it have to do with Kyle? Or Eric, maybe? Steven! Answer me, please.” They were outside now, the cold air doing neither of them favors. 

“Jackie, give me a sec.” He pulled out his keys from his pocket and unlocked the car. He was hoping for some time alone, but his girl was worried and that was gonna bug him for the duration of his drive, so he tilted his head, gesturing for her to get in. She complied, crossing her arms over her chest as soon as she sat down and buckled her seatbelt. She gave him a look, ordering for him to do the same. 

Since before their romantic relationship started, and they were friends of some sort, she was very insistent on him wearing a seatbelt. She’d told him that he drove way too fast and there was no way she was going to get in the car with him unless he put it on. It eventually just became a habit. 

“Happy?” He asked she nodded, a perky smile on her face. It was quiet, for a while, as he drove. Jackie was staring at her hands for the most part, taking frequent, very noticeable glances at him. It was clear she was signaling for him to start talking and so he did, 

“You gotta stop letting your insecurities get the best of you.” 

“I don’t have any insecurities.” She said, confidently, blowing a strand of hair off her face. He smirked, rolling his eyes.

“Jackie.” 

“Okay, fine. But it’s not like they’re unwarranted. You used to make it very clear that you had no intention of getting married.” He ran a hand through his hair, his eyes focused on the road. 

“What about Donna?” She looked confused for a moment, before realization hit her, 

“I can’t believe she told you. I hate her big stupid mouth.” 

“It was an accident. She told me yesterday while I was ranting about Edna.”

“It’s not my fault. Your stupid whore of a mother got me stressed out about it. I’m fine now.” She focused her attention on the decorated buildings of Point Place. 

“I’m gonna marry you. I promise you that, if the ring isn’t enough of an assurance. And I promise I won’t cheat on you.” 

She nodded, though her gaze didn’t leave the window, 

“Jackie, c’mon, look at me.”

“You’re driving.” It was a moment or two before she continued, “I just wish you’d talk to me, that’s all. And I know you like doing things on your own and stuff, but it’s nice when you talk to me about something you can’t control. Usually you’re so zen about it, and that’s all everyone else sees. But I like being able to calm you down, whether it’s by playing with your hair or you just laying on my lap while I’m reading something. And I know no one else is able to do it which makes me happy because it means that no one belongs with you except me.”

He’d usually laugh at something so sappy and maybe he still would have if it wasn’t something that meant so much to her, “I’m just worried about this Kyle thing. I don’t want to raise him. If I have a kid, I want to want that kid. It could be through you being pregnant or through adoption, but I don’t want to be stuck with it. And it’s not fair to have Kitty or Red or even WB take that kid in cause it’s not their responsibility. It’s gotta be mine, right? I just don’t know what to do.”

She finally turned to look at him, her fingertips trailing over his arm. She interlaced on of his hands with her own, the one not on the steering wheel, and pressed a gentle kiss on the back of it, 

“Steven, it’s not your job to raise him. I think you should be in his life, because you both deserve that but whoever decides to want to raise him, well it’ll be their job. And we’ll figure it out. I mean, right now, Mrs. Forman is not letting him go. So, just take a deep breath and when you’re ready to discuss living arrangements and all that, then we’ll all sit down and talk about it.”

He nodded, tightening his grip on her hand, “How many more days?”

She looked at him and smiled, “Three hundred and fifty-seven.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> at this point, i don't know which part is actually canon or if some scenes are just from leosac's stories. anyway, comment what u think.


End file.
